2008-12-10 00:32:39  

·The premier urged them to cancel rallies to avoid deterioration of the situation. ·Some quarters have used the shooting as an "alibi" to engage in "unprecedented violence". ·The trade unions have rejected the prime minister's appeal.

    ATHENS, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) --

Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis on Tuesday called on the country's major trade unions to cancel planned rallies Wednesday amid heightened concerns over further riots and violence in downtown Athens.

    In letters to the union heads, the premier urged them to cancel rallies to avoid deterioration of the situation following days of widespread riots sparked by the fatal police shooting of a teenager Saturday night.

    Karamanlis said some quarters have used the tragic shooting as an "alibi" to engage in "unprecedented violence" against innocent citizens, property and all of society, adding that such conduct caused harm to democracy.

    "Demands and protest are absolutely respected and inviolable democratic rights. However, due to the situation that has developed over the last few days, I call on you to show the required responsibility and cancel the planned rallies for tomorrow's 24-hour strike, so that there is no opportunity to exploit an event by wage-earners in order to proceed with new acts of catastrophic violence," Karamanlis wrote in the letters.

    The trade unions have rejected the prime minister's appeal, according to local media.

    Since Saturday, gangs of youngsters have fought pitched street battles with riot police, setting fire to vehicles, shops and public buildings, and even the newly installed big Christmas tree in the capital's central Syntagma Square.

Greek president appeals for peaceful remembrance of slain teenager

2008-12-09 22:58:47  

    ATHENS, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) --

Greek President Karolos Papoulias on Tuesday called for respect for the law while honoring the death of Alexis Grigoropoulos, a 15-year-old boy who was shot dead by police Saturday.

    "We must persist with respect for the institutions and the law. As a member of the generation that lived difficult years in our history, I call on everyone to honor Alexis' memory peacefully," said Papoulias in a statement.

    "Today, the day of Alexis Grigoropoulos' funeral, is a day of mourning. His murder deeply wounded our democracy. The preceding days brought to everyone's mind a big 'why.' If our society does not give a convincing answer, giving solutions, the wounds will remain open," the president said.

    Grigoropoulos was fatally shot by a policeman Saturday night in Exarhia district of the capital Athens, which sparked three nights of rioting and unprecedented violence in Athens and other cities around the country.

    Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis has appealed for national unity and pledged to restore order.

    But Greek socialist opposition leader George Papandreou on Tuesday urged the government to resign and seek a "public verdict" on the crisis.

    According to the Athens News Agency, 176 people were questioned by police Monday night, of whom 87 were arrested and charged. They are accused of damaging property, looting shops and attacking police.

Editor: Sun

Riots break out in Greece after policeman shoots teenager

2008-12-07 22:57:30  

·Riots broke out in Greece Sunday after a teenager was allegedly killed by police. ·Two officers have been under arrest. ·An investigation was underway and an autopsy will be carried out.

    ATHENS, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) --

Riots broke out in Athens and other Greek cities in the early hours on Sunday after a teenager was allegedly killed by police the previous night.

    Demonstrators took to the streets in Athens, Thessaloniki, Patra and other cities in Greece, setting fires to cars and damaging banks and shops.

    Riots continued through Sunday morning in central Athens. A group of demonstrators threw stones and Molotov cocktails at police who responded with tear gas.

    The 16-year-old boy was shot in the chest in the Athens district of Exarhia on Saturday night during a clash between police and a group of 30 youths who are members of leftist, anti-establishment groups. The boy died shortly after being taken to hospital.

    The officer who killed the boy claimed that he shot twice in the air and once at the ground and that the bullet that injured the boy must have rebounded from the ground.

    Two officers have been under arrest. Police officials said an investigation was underway and an autopsy will be carried out to confirm whether the police had shot directly at the victim.

    Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos expressed deep regret over the death of the boy and called for an "exemplary punishment" against those responsible for the incident.